Appreciation
by Emme2589
Summary: Chibi-Robo loves making people happy, but what will happen when his hard work begins to feel pointless?
1. Chapter 1

Chibi-Robo scrubbed the tiled kitchen floor with his Drake Redcrest toothbrush. It was just like any normal Friday afternoon, and the little robot was collecting Happy points. Picking up garbage, scrubbing stains until the surface sparkled...after all, he was just going to have to do it all over again the following day.

But that was fine. He enjoyed cleaning up, and it made folks happy, so why not do it again and again?

When he was almost done with all the stains in the kitchen, Chibi-Robo heard an odd beeping sound. It was signaling that the day was almost over, and afternoon was about to roll over into evening. Any minute, Telly would jump out and take him back to the Chibi-House for some well-deserved rest.

Sure enough, the bell sounded right as Chibi finished his work.

"Nicely done, Chibi-Robo!" came the voice of Telly, Chibi-Robo's guide and best friend, "Let's go back! Maybe we'll even catch the sunset on our way?"

Chibi-Robo obediently followed his friend back to the house. They missed the sunset, but Chibi was beaming on the inside. He was happy that his main design function was something so helpful! He couldn't smile, since he didn't have a mouth, but Telly could tell, just like every other day, Chibi was happy. Almost like Chibi-Robo himself would spout Happy points.

"Good work out there!" Telly chimed in his little computerized voice, "You sure know how to make people happy!"

Well, how could he not? He was ranked number one in the Chibi-Ranking, as he had been for almost a year now. The Sanderson's were just so messy that every single time Chibi entered a room, there would be more to clean. It was a good thing too, considering cleaning made everyone so happy.

But he began to notice something...odd. Usually when enough stains were cleaned up, Mrs. Sanderson would give him a cleaning bonus. It wasn't large, but it let Chibi know he was appreciated. However, he had cleaned up every day as he usually did, and no cleaning bonus had come in a long time. He tilted his head to get Telly's attention.

"Hm? What's wrong, Chibi-Robo? You still like making people happy, don't you?"

Chibi opened his head, which acted as a storage compartment, flipping open the sign that read, _Yes!_ Of course he still liked making people happy, that wasn't the issue. Chibi then proceeded to get out his toothbrush, point at it, and shrug with one shoulder.

"Oh! Your cleaning bonus!" Telly looked sheepish, "Well...um...it's, kind of odd, really...Mrs. Sanderson hasn't given me one in a long time..."

Just as he feared. His cleaning bonuses had stopped coming. Mrs. Sanderson had never missed his cleaning bonus. Ever.

"Uhhh..." Telly covered his anxiety with a cheery voice, "Well, nevermind that! Let's see what's going on...huh?"

Chibi watched the little number above the screen in the Chibi-House. His ranking was...readjusting?

"W-What's going on!?" Telly stammered, "I-If you're at number one, and it's readjusting..."

Chibi felt a sense of dread.

The number stopped adjusting, finally settling on the number 2.

"Y-Your ranking went down!? That can't be!" Telly's alarm raised even more when he dropped his eyes to the screen, "What!? We only collected fifty Happy points!? For the whole day!?"

Chibi was feeling worse by the second. It wasn't like he had stopped working! If anything he was working harder than ever! Why did he suddenly have less happiness going around when...

A sudden thought struck Chibi just then.

Before the Chibi-Robos hit the market, Giga-Robos were very popular, however they needed a lot of power to run. This led to the Sanderson's Giga-Robo letting himself run out of power so that he wouldn't be raising the electrical bill so high. Now though, he was back, ever since he made his wish to the aliens who owed him their lives.

Now that he was back, was he possibly taking all the attention of the household?

"Oh!" Telly exclaimed in his usual way, "Chibi-Robo, what are you thinking about?"

Chibi pointed outside before grabbing his plug and pulling it from the outlet. He peeked outside before hopping down the stairs. There was Giga-Robo, in his favorite spot on the couch. Sure enough, most if not all the toys were gathered around, ecstatic that their friend was back from so long in the basement. It made Chibi-Robo feel something he didn't recognize at first, because he'd never felt it before.

He was feeling lonely.

"Chibi-Robo?" Telly asked, "What's wrong? He's always like that."

Of course he was. That was the problem. Everyone was so focused on their old buddy that they forgot who brought him back in the first place! Chibi-Robo was the one who spent 10,000 Moolah on charging his battery! He was also the one who got the code to open the case where Giga's missing leg was, and the one who got it back from evil thieving robots! _And_ he risked his life multiple times in the process!

So why was he suddenly feeling so unappreciated?

Chibi-Robo then did something very out of character for him. He turned around and went right back inside the Chibi-House.

"Huh!? Chibi-Robo!?"

Chibi sat down on the floor of the house and crossed his arms. He wasn't that upset, but it's hard to keep working when it feels like it does nothing! The Happy points were his motivation! What did he have to work for if his work was making no one happy?

"Um...listen, I know how you feel, but you can't just stop!" Telly tried to reason, "These people need you! If you leave then they'll-!"

 _No!_

Before Telly was even done speaking, Chibi-Robo had flipped open his _No!_ sign. Usually, he wasn't one to interrupt, but he was feeling a little annoyed, so common curtsy wasn't high on his list of important things.

"Ch-Chibi-Robo!?"

Chibi realized what he had done and put the sign away, scolding himself for being so rash.

"Chibi-Robo! You can't just give up! You just can't!" Telly began to panic, "Um...confetti!" Telly always seemed to have confetti poppers with him. He shot confetti into the air, "Yay! Confetti!"

Chibi would have rolled his eyes if his camera-lens were capable of that. Yes, he usually loved the confetti, but it was always thrown when something cool happened, like when he ranked up in the Chibi-Ranking. Now though, it just felt like a sorry way to try and cheer him up. Sorry because it wasn't working. Chibi turned away from his friend.

Telly's voice began to shake, _"Chibi-Robo?"_

Chibi wanted him to go away, but he also didn't want to see his friend cry, so he turned his head to look at him.

 _"You usually love the confetti..."_ Telly was trying to keep his voice even, but if there was one thing he hated more than anything, it was sadness, _"You're still in there, right? The same Chibi-Robo I was paired with at Citrusoft?"_

Chibi inwardly sighed, _Yes!_

Telly's tear-glands were threatening to overflow, _"It doesn't seem like it..."_

Chibi-Robo got to his feet, laying on hand on Telly's tiny shoulder. It wasn't overly-depressing when Telly cried, but back when Chibi had a regular battery, he would see tears _literally_ pour from his eyes like waterfalls if it ran out of power. It even made a running-faucet sound. Really, when happiness is such a motivator for you, then sadness feels all the more sad.

 _"Chibi-Robo...you're going to keep making the Sanderson's happy...aren't you?"_

Chibi thought about that. He knew his friend was only concerned for him, but he also didn't want to lie. Did he still have the motivation needed to keep doing that?

Not wanting to see Telly more upset than he already was, Chibi-Robo answered, _Yes!_ Then he tugged on Telly's tiny arm as if to say, _Come with me._

"Alright. Like a true friend, I shall accompany you!" which really didn't sound very noble coming from Telly.

Though, Chibi appreciated the sentiment anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

"We've spent quite awhile here, so I suggest staying in the living room, since you won't be able to get much farther before morning."

The last thing Chibi wanted was to stay in the same room as Giga-Robo and his cult following, but at least he wouldn't be running any marathons this time around. Who knows. Maybe the toys would notice him again. They were his friends too, right?

As Chibi went about his usual chores, though, he began to notice how little motivation he had. He was even getting less Happy points with everything he did. Now, getting only fifty Happy points in the entire day when he normally received thousands made a little more since. It wasn't helping, though. Chibi couldn't get tired, but his arms were feeling heavier as he threw garbage away and scrubbed stains on the floor, each action only earning him 10 Happy points at the most.

By the time the sun came up, Chibi was feeling something that could compare to exhaustion. It was an odd sensation for him. The only relief was hearing Telly spout nonsense, like an observation of the TV being moved away from the wall slightly, or whether or not the ceiling had always been so high. Normally, it would have been annoying and distracting, but Chibi took comfort in knowing his old friend was still right beside him. At least Giga couldn't take him away, too.

Sometimes, Chibi would catch Giga's gaze, which made him look away in frustration. Didn't he care that it was _him_ who brought Giga back from the grave!? The least he could give was a thank you!

Finally, it was time to return to the Chibi-House. Chibi walked slowly, letting his plug trail behind him. He walked almost in defeat, and Telly noticed. He didn't carry the same happiness as he usually did at the end of a hard-working day or night. He was barely even recognizable.

"Um...Chibi-Robo...?"

Chibi lifted his head slightly so that Telly was visible in his cameras.

"It'll get better...tomorrow..." though he sounded doubtful, "...you'll see..."

Chibi almost felt like he was carrying something heavy on his shoulders. What was that anyway, anger? Pain? He couldn't tell. All he did was hop into the little house and lay down so he was looking at the ceiling. He didn't move for a few hours.

"Um..." Telly tried to think of something to say. Anything to cheer him up, "...I could talk to Mrs. Sanderson tomorrow...maybe she'll give you a cleaning bonus? You're always excited when you get those..."

Chibi-Robo blinked, his first movement of the morning, _No!_

"Um...what if I got Jenny to play with you? You love that...?"

 _No!_

"Well, what if we go outside and make it rain? You haven't done that in awhile...?"

 _No!_

"Come on, Chibi-Robo!" Telly waved his arms in the air, "You can't just sit around here all day! You have to do _something!_ "

Chibi blinked again, but made no move to get up.

Telly looked down at the floor, "I'm sorry, Chibi-Robo...I really am...is there anything I could do to help?"

Chibi thought for a moment, but ultimately, his response was, _No!_

Telly was silent. He'd never in his entire life seen Chibi-Robo like this before. No Chibi-Manual or downloaded memory-banks had prepared him for something like this. It was a unique situation, but still, Telly tried to search his mind for anything that could help him.

He came up blank.

He was quiet for one more moment, " _I've...failed..._ "

Chibi turned to look at him.

Telly burst into tears, the waterfalls making a puddle on the ground, " _My job is to help you make people happy...but you can't do that if you aren't happy yourself...do you know how much it hurts seeing you so defeated?_ "

Chibi closed his eyes. He tried, he really tried, but there was always a new mess to clean, a new job to do, more work to take care of. It was fine before because he knew it was making everyone happy! But when your motivator is gone, then what's left?

You can't just force yourself to do something arbitrary.

There's no point if it does nothing.

Chibi forced himself into a sitting position, keeping his sad eyes on Telly. _No!_

"Hm?" Telly stopped crying, "So you'll go!?"

Chibi didn't want to, but he said _Yes!_ anyway. Seeing Telly blame himself hurt more than doing something that felt silly, so he pulled himself off the ground and reluctantly plugged himself into the wall. He saw the numbers readjusting again, and he closed his eyes, fearing the worst. Telly stared at his new Chibi-Ranking.

It had dropped down to 4.

"Thirty Happy points..." Telly said, "...even less than before..."

Chibi pulled his plug from the wall, not looking back as he hopped down the stairs.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day was more or less the same. Jenny was coloring near the coffee table, all the toys motionless, with Giga-Robo once again on the couch. Chibi couldn't help but begin to feel a bit bitter. He put his life on the line for that robot and this is his thanks!? He tried to shake that thought though, knowing Telly was still rooting for him. He used it to fuel his movements as he went about his daily chores. It would soon prove too much for him, though. He found himself taking frequent breaks, skipping over messes that were out of reach, and he even ended up skipping entire rooms. He just couldn't keep Giga out of his mind, even though Telly was with him the whole time.

Speaking of Telly, he was noticing his best friend's change in mood and behavior. Chibi didn't even spend time to climb the stairs, just to find more things. It was worrying him, and he couldn't help but feel bad for guilt-tripping his friend into more work, even though he knew it was for the better. This was the reason he didn't stop Chibi when he took a two minute break, instead of his usual ten-second break, or when he skipped messes or rooms.

"Well...the day is over..." Telly noticed Chibi sway on his feet, "Are you alright? Can you still walk?"

Chibi relaxed upon hearing that the day was over. He tried to follow Telly, but his leg wouldn't obey him and he ended up collapsing instead.

"Chibi-Robo!?" Telly flew down so he was almost eye-level with the little robot, "Are you ok!?"

Chibi tried to display his _Yes!_ sign, but he was too tired. It was making him extremely uneasy. He did _half_ the work he had always done just a few days ago, so why was he so...

"Um, I'll carry you, ok?" Telly grabbed his friend and awkwardly dragged him all the way back to the living room. Chibi was still awake, but he was feeling his motors go to sleep, almost like a person who has worked themself raw. His cameras were unfocusing too, making everything look blurry. It was really disorienting!

The next time Chibi dared open his eyes again, he was back inside the Chibi-House. If he had nerve endings, he would have been extremely sore. Instead, he was feeling his systems overheating.

"You're ok, aren't you!?" Telly panicked, "Oh no! What do I do!? What do I _do!?_ "

Chibi stayed on the ground long enough for his motors to calm down and his internal fan to cool him off. Finally, he stood, spinning his crooked head back into place. He was relieved that the odd spike in temperature was only temporary.

"Chibi-Robo? Are you ok?"

 _Yes!_

"Whew! You really had me worried there!" Telly replied, "It almost looked like you were low on..."

He stopped. He had almost said, "low on power", but that was impossible. He was given an infini-battery.

"Um...nevermind that!" Telly tried to seem cheerful, "You did great out there, Chibi-Robo. Really, I'm proud of you."

Chibi took comfort in that. At least _someone_ still appreciated him. He lifted his plug on top of his head and made to plug it in-!

"Um, I think we'll skip that this time!" Telly knocked the plug out of Chibi's hands and it clattered to the floor, "You'll be ok, won't you?"

Chibi could tell what he was trying to do. He was trying to hide his Chibi-Ranking. Even though he worked as hard as he was able the whole day, he could only get a few Happy points per action. His ranking was sure to go down. He had worked so hard to get it up, too...

"Look, I just think that you need all the motivation you can get." Telly explained, "Let's go talk to Mrs. Sanderson. I'm sure she's still awake..."

Chibi couldn't think of anything better to do, so he replied with, _Yes!_ Maybe he'd get more Happy points if he could talk to someone.

"Ok, come on then!"

Telly lead Chibi to the stairs, where a Chibi-Teleporter rested. Chibi lifted his plug and used his own battery power to fuel the little machine. Once at the top of the stairs, Chibi climbed the bedroom door all the way to the top so he could walk through the peep-hole.

He was about to use his Chibi-Copter to drift down to the floor safely when the door suddenly swung open, knocking him into the wall. He then fell down to the floor, landing on his feet. The shock-springs in his body absorbed the fall, but not enough to avoid damage to Chibi's battery. He suddenly felt very light-headed.

"Chibi-Robo!?" came Telly's frantic call, "Where are you!?"

He heard something else, too. It became clearer as his "headache" faded;

 _"Yes, yes I know! You don't have to remind me! Look, I have no idea why they both suddenly have infinite battery power! It just happened!"_

Who was that? Chibi tried to place the voice, but his head was still fuzzy. Getting to his feet, he put both hands on the wall to steady himself, carefully stepping forward. His head hit something hard, so he looked up.

The door was open as wide as it could go. That meant the edge of the door was against the wall. Chibi wasn't strong enough to squeeze through, and he wasn't small enough to fit under the door.

He was trapped.

Chibi banged on the door frantically, but it wouldn't budge. All he could do was hope that Telly could hear him and go get help. Finally, the little cube-shaped robot hovered near enough that Chibi could hear him;

"Chibi-Robo!" Telly said, "I'm so glad I found you! Are you alright!?"

Chibi couldn't communicate with his signs, so he stuck an arm in the small opening and waved.

"Oh! Thank heavens you're alright! Um, wait here! I'll go get help!" and just like that, Chibi-Robo was alone.

Completely alone.


	4. Chapter 4

Chibi-Robo lay down on the floor and continuously tapped his foot against the door. Maybe with some luck, someone would hear him and help him out. No one came, though. Even the person who had opened the door on him had left, so for the first time ever, he was all alone.

The constant banging of his foot on the door eventually made his head pound, so he had to stop. After that, it was eerily quiet. Chibi-Robo almost felt like he was losing energy. And...was his back getting wet?

Alarmed, he sat up and looked down at the floor. Battery acid. Neon green and glowing oddly bright. It was oozing from the cracks in his shiny chrome finish. The sight of it was disturbing. If his entire battery leaked onto the floor...

Chibi held his side, using the other arm to bang on the door again. He needed to get out fast before something went really wrong. He didn't want to waste his power, but it was only a matter of time before all the acid was gone. And then what? Would he just fall like he did in the past when his power ran out? Or would something worse happen!?

He decided he didn't want to find out. Where was Telly!? Why was he taking so long!? If there was any moment where Chibi wished he had a speaker, this would be it. Was he just stuck!?

Finally, he collapsed onto the floor, too scared to do anything else. His biggest fear was that the Sanderson's wouldn't find him here until it was too late. And then they would toss his body in the trash, just as worthless as the garbage he literally filled his head with.

Actually, his biggest fear was that Telly would never return.

Finally, after what felt like days, he heard something apart from the pounding in his head from losing battery acid. It sounded so dangerously familiar it made him want to get out his Chibi-Blaster. What was that noise?

Chibi-Robo stood up and tried to peek around the door. It was such a small opening, but he finally saw what was going on.

Spydorz.

He froze. He had destroyed those robots when he got Giga's leg back, hadn't he? What were those tiny machines doing here?

When the Spydorz turned and saw Chibi wedged behind the door, he could tell they were plotting how to get in that tiny confinement and destroy him. They were always trying to destroy him for some reason, a programming error, if he recalled correctly.

Either way, he needed to get out before they got to him first.

He backed up until his heels hit the wall behind him, getting his Chibi-Blaster out and aiming it at the door. Maybe if he shot it, it would open just enough to let him out. Turns out, it needed three charged blasts to make an opening just big enough to squeeze through. At this point he put the blaster away and held onto his side with both hands, knowing too much force would push the rest of the battery acid out of his body. When the Spydorz were turned away, he bolted for the hallway.

As soon as he was out in the open, the evil robots began shooting at him. It was hard to go fast when his plug was trailing behind him and he was trying to stop acid leaking out of his body, when suddenly, he was halted in his tracks. He spun around, seeing that his plug had gotten stuck on something! He let go of his side to tug on his plug, watching the cord turn red from the strain, but it wouldn't come loose! The Spydorz shot at him again and again, but Chibi couldn't dodge! He felt his battery power drop until his vision flashed red, a sure sign that he was low on power. Finally, his plug came loose, but it made him stumble backwards, so much so that he tripped and fell down the stairs.

All the way down.

He rolled on his side the entire way, so his momentum kept him going until he painfully hit the floor down below. He lay motionless for a moment. Where _was_ everyone!? Why had Telly just left and not come back!?

Chibi-Robo finally worked up the strength to limp from the foyer to the living room, holding onto his side carefully. He just needed to get to the Chibi-House so Telly could see what was wrong and get help, and then he would scold him for leaving like that.

But what he saw upon entering the living room burned in the back of his camera's apertures.

Telly was talking to Giga-Robo.

Not only that, but everyone was here. Every person and every toy (though the toys were motionless).

They had all left him.

Telly turned around just then and Chibi locked eyes with him. Telly's eyes widened in shock, "Chibi-Robo!?"

That was the last thing he could see before he fell on the ground, his energy completely drained.


	5. Chapter 5

Chibi-Robo felt something odd and distorted fill his head before he could open his eyes. Something was ringing in his ear-chip, and his cameras couldn't focus at first. Finally, he recognized the pattern on the ceiling of the Chibi-House. The tell-tale rotor blade sounds was a sure sign that his friend was nearby.

Chibi didn't feel like getting up completely, but he did push himself up to a seated position. He spun his head so it was no longer crooked.

"Chibi-Robo!"

Chibi looked up at Telly, then he narrowed his eyes.

"Um...I guess you're still mad at me?"

 _Yes!_

"Well...um...listen, ok? I was trying to get help, really! I just got a little sidetracked! I wasn't gone that long, was I?"

Chibi reached out and hit Telly so that he was sent spinning.

"OK! OK!" Telly steadied himself, "Really, though, how long was I gone?"

Chibi leaned forward, hugging his knees.

"Um...Chibi-Robo?"

Chibi felt something tug on the back of his cameras. It felt oddly cold.

"Are you ok?"

He closed his eyes. What was going on? Was something wrong with him?

"Ch...Chibi-Robo...?"

Finally, his eyes opened wide and tears cascaded down in waterfalls. It even made a faucet sound, just like Telly's tears.

"Chibi-Robo!" Telly cried, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Something inside Chibi snapped just then. He swung at Telly, driving him from the Chibi-House with the waterfall-tears still cascading down his face.

Telly hesitated right outside before heading off. Maybe he'd be alright later.

Chibi-Robo watched his friend leave before burying his face in his arms. He didn't even know he was capable of shedding so many tears!

"...and then...and then he drove me out!" Telly explained to everyone, "I've never in all my experience with Chibi-Robos seen any one of them so depressed before! I don't know what to do!"

"Oh no!" Mrs. Sanderson exclaimed, "I can't believe I forgot his cleaning bonus!"

"It's long overdue..." Telly agreed, "I would have reminded you, but I didn't realize myself until Chibi-Robo pointed it out..."

"Ribbit..." Jenny said sadly, "Chibi-Robo..."

"Don't you get it?" Telly asked, "He feels extremely unappreciated."

"Well, yeah..." Mr. Sanderson said, "His AI is extremely advanced. He has feelings, just like the rest of us."

"But that can't be it!" Mrs. Sanderson argued, "He had more going for him than my small cleaning bonus!"

"That's only part of the problem." Telly gestured towards Giga-Robo, "That guy has been getting all the attention!"

Giga-Robo looked surprised, then ashamed.

"You guys have been showering him with love, but you forgot about the little robot who made it all happen. You all forgot about Chibi-Robo! Although, I did get a little sidetracked while his battery leaked..."

"He just needs to feel loved again." Mrs. Sanderson realized, "I have an idea, but everyone needs a part in it..."

Chibi-Robo opened his eyes to the ceiling of the Chibi-House. He hadn't moved at all since he made Telly leave, but maybe that had been a bad idea, because without anyone to talk to for many hours, he was feeling terrible. He had been plugged in the outlet for the Chibi-House, so his ranking had readjusted.

It was now down to 10. No Happy points had been collected for the entire day.

It was an all-time low for him. He had never gone an entire day without collecting a single Happy point.

"Chibi-Robo?"

Chibi inwardly frowned, rolling onto his side so he'd be facing away from Telly.

"So...I take it you're still upset?"

Chibi-Robo glared at his friend, almost as if to say, _What do you think?_ before turning away again.

"Um...heheh...well, we have a surprise for you, Chibi-Robo..."

Chibi wasn't sure about how great that would be. If it meant confetti, then maybe, but it didn't feel worth it to leave and then run into trouble again.

"There'll be confetti!" Telly promised, "And you miiight get a looot of Happy points!"

That got his attention. He swiveled around.

"Come on! Don't keep us waiting!"

Chibi didn't feel like getting up, but he did anyway, reluctantly hopping down the stairs of the Chibi-House and lazily following behind Telly. He didn't feel like doing anything, even though cleaning up was his favorite past time. It just felt so-!

"SURPRISE!" and then confetti.

Chibi was so surprised he fell backwards, nearly landing on his plug!

"See?" Telly beamed, "We're all here to apologize for everything! Now _please_ stop being so sad! My heart can't take it!"

Chibi blinked several times. The whole family was gathered for this occasion, including Giga-Robo. Chibi nearly glared at him, but Giga was looking so...sad? Did he feel guilty for this?

Chibi looked a moment longer before standing. His little feet padded on the floor as he approached Giga curiously. Was he really apologizing? It wasn't like it was his fault or anything...

"Chibi-Robo...we were all to blame..." Telly explained, "I tried to stick by you, but then I fell into the same trap...I can't tell you how sorry I am..."

Chibi looked at the ground. He didn't know what to say.

"You do forgive me...don't you...?"

No hesitation, _Yes!_

"Whew...what a relief..."

Chibi was feeling better already. That was when he decided to try something. He got out his toothbrush and scrubbed a stain off the floor.

"Aw!" Mrs. Sanderson gushed, "Look at that! You're going back to work already?"

Telly's eyes widened, "Mrs. Sanderson just gave you five hundred Happy points! And you got three hundred Moolah!"

Chibi-Robo suddenly felt a burst of motivation. His almost-achyness was gone and he seemed to have new energy as he swiftly cleaned up all the messes he could see around him. It felt nice to get back to work!

"Ribbit?" Jenny asked.

Chibi was beaming inside. It had been days since he had felt like this! Happy to make others happy! He felt like he could work forever. He kept cleaning up messes, earning at least 20 Happy points per action while the others watched.

Mrs. Sanderson smiled as he worked, "I'm sorry I forgot about you."

"So are we." Mr. Sanderson added, "We're cool though, right?"

 _Yes!_

"Cool...your battery took quite a beating, though. I had to replace it."

Chibi didn't care. Not in the slightest. He was just glad to have his family back.

Just as he was putting his toothbrush away, Chibi noticed Giga-Robo again. He was looking away, both hands in his lap. It seemed that, just like the energy crisis, Giga blamed himself for the whole thing, even if it technically wasn't his fault. Chibi climbed up the side of the couch, standing up on the armrest. Giga was still trying to avoid eye-contact.

Chibi stepped to the edge of the couch, deciding to do something reckless.

He jumped off the edge.

" _Chibi-Robo!_ " came everyone's response.

Almost automatically, Giga reached out and caught him. That was when Chibi finally caught his eye. Though, just as suddenly, Giga set him down and looked away again.

"Chibi-Robo!" Telly scolded, "You scared me to death! Don't ever do that again!"

But Chibi wasn't listening. He was still trying to communicate with Giga.

"Wait a minute..." Telly realized, "Oh! I get it!" he flew upwards so he was in front of Giga's eyes, "He's trying to get your attention!"

Chibi watched as Giga slowly spun his head to look at the smaller bot. Chibi's cameras curved upward, the equivalent of a smile.

"You forgive him, just like you forgave us!" Telly guessed, "Right Chibi-Robo?"

Chibi surprised everyone by responding with, _No!_

"What!?" Telly exclaimed, "H-How could you-!?"

Chibi displayed his _No!_ sign again, deciding to explain. Chibi pointed upward at Giga-Robo, then at his own shoulder. Giga picked up on the action, carefully letting Chibi sit on his shoulder. Chibi then explained by pointing at everyone else, then at himself, and then at Giga.

It wasn't that he was still mad at Giga-Robo, but it really wasn't his fault. He wouldn't accept the apology, not because he wouldn't forgive him, but because he couldn't accept an apology that didn't need to be said.

Telly smiled slightly, hovering near Chibi, "You're amazing...you know that, Chibi-Robo?"

Chibi gave a modest nod. All he ever wanted was to make people happy.

Who could argue with that?

*** THE END ***


End file.
